Buses, Boats, and Legs – Disney Transportation

Options, we got options here! Getting around Walt Disney World is enjoyable, adventurous, and may or may not require the use of your favorite navigation app (kidding). When you stay on Disney property you’ve got buses, boats, monorails, and the old fashion legs. Below are some of the tricks Serena and I have learned over the years using Disney Transportation to make park hopping easy as getting an Uber (yes, you can do that).

Let Disney Handle It

Vacations are designed for relaxing, not road rage and driving in circles. The coolest thing about staying on Disney property is you don’t need a car. From the moment you land at the Orlando airport, Disney is there for the heavy lifting. They’ll collect your checked luggage and deliver it to your room, while you enjoy a free air conditioned ride to your hotel. Save the money (on both car rental fees and parking), and let the experts get you from point A to point B. Serena and I look at it as – rental car or nice dinner? We always go for the Signature Dining experience. Check out any of the Signature Restaurants, seriously, you really can’t go wrong.

Moving Around the Parks

You’ve enjoyed your Fastpass+ for the day, and you notice the sea of people around you. For us, this means it time to zig when everyone else has zagged. We jump on the My Disney Experience App, check out the wait times at other parks and head off. You could absolutely do the tried and true method – wait for the bus going to your next desired park, or you could use the hotel buses that are in that park’s proximity. The hotel buses generally will run more frequently than your park buses.

Many of the Disney Resorts are connected to the different theme parks and accessible by walking or a short boat ride. Arriving at the bus station is where our park-to-park strategy kicks in. Serena and I use this strategy when the direct method means having to wait for a bus to arrive (ie bus from Animal Kingdom to Epcot). We scan the different resort bus stops and see which hotels have a bus that would get us close to our desired theme park. We spot a bus then we’re off to the races (usually because we have to run to catch the bus!). By the end of your trip, you will be a Jedi Master of running short distances in flip flops! Check out our handy guide below for our DVC Duo recommended routes!

Other Perks

Going the non-traditional route from theme park to theme park has some cool benefits. Disney is more than just the theme parks, it’s a whole world! Serena and I have stumbled into some real hidden gems in our time. For example, catching the magician on the Boardwalk (at Disney’s Boardwalk Hotel) as we make our way from Epcot to Hollywood Studios, or the awesome gift shop in the Yacht Club lobby. At holiday season, it gets even better, as many of the hotels decorate to the nines and have some of the most impressive gingerbread creations we’ve even seen, like Chef Stitch in the Boardwalk lobby.

Great question, Pam. Disney recently rolled out a service called Minnie Vans, it’s similar to an Uber or Lyft. You can take the service from any point on Disney property to another. It’s a flat rate service for $25 one-way and they can accommodate an ECV. All you need to do is request the “Minnie Van” at Guest Services either at your Disney Hotel or theme park. If your party is larger than one Minnie Van, Guest Services will request a second at no additional cost. This could be a great way to get to your wedding without using the buses.